Ken Auer

Ken Auer is the founder and master craftsman of RoleModel Software, Inc. in Holly Springs, NC. Though he spends most of his energy in the practice of the craft, he has been known to speak, write an occasional article or chapter contribution to leading edge books, or blog about an integrated life. He was one of the first to apply object-oriented software development to industrial applications in the mid-80s and he has continued to be a pioneer. He has been at the front of the introduction of design patterns, immersion training, agile software development, and the concept of software as a craft in a studio environment. His co-authored "Extreme Programming Applied" book exemplified his pioneering spirit as he shared his own stories of the early application of Extreme Programming as well as those of others. Introduced as the "father of Software Craftsmanship" at the first Software Craftsmanship North America conference, he has recently announced the opening of the RoleModel Software Craftsmanship Academy which is being heralded as the model for training the next generation of software craftsmen.